Rascal Flatts at a press conference on July 29, 2010, announcing their signing to Big Machine Records.

Rascal Flatts picked Taylor Swift to open for them in 2008 — now they’ve picked her label, Big Machine Records, as their new musical home.

“We are extremely excited about our new partnership with Big Machine Records!” says Jay DeMarcus, bassist and background vocalist for Rascal Flatts. “We believe that Scott Borchetta and all of the folks over there are a perfect fit for what Rascal Flatts is trying to accomplish over the next few years. The last 10 years have been amazing but we are even more excited about the next phase of our career; Scott understands us, he knows what we’re about and it’s always a wonderful thing to have someone who believes in you and your music that much in your corner.”

“Rascal Flatts are the biggest band in country music and we’re honored and thrilled to have them join the Big Machine Records family,” says Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta. “While they are celebrating their first ten years together I selfishly can’t wait to start on their next ten years. They have made a fantastic new album and they are completely energized and ready to take on not only the US but also the rest of the world. Why wait?”

“Why Wait,” indeed. That’s the title of their new single, their first one on Big Machine. Written by Neil Thrasher, Tom Shapiro and Jimmy Yeary, it’s already on the radio today. The new CD, Nothing Like This, will be in stores on November 16 and was produced by Dann Huff.

When their label, Lyric Street Records, announced it was closing last April, many wondered where the superstar trio would end up next. At the press conference, the Flatts told GAC’s Shanna Strassberg why they were so happy about their new home. Watch the interview here:

Check back tomorrow for more from the Rascal Flatts press conference!

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James Otto's 2010 CD, Shake What God Gave Ya. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

James Otto is sounding very happy-go-lucky of late, what with “Groovy Little Summer Song” putting a sunny disposition and a bit of blue-eyed soul into the beach-weather playlist.

The song is just one of a dozen tracks set for James’ next album, which is slated for release at the tail end of summer, Sept. 14. The project is titled Shake What God Gave Ya!, and it’s apparently loaded up with the same sort of R&B influences that shade “Groovy Little Summer Song” and his signature hit, “Just Got Started Lovin’ You.”

“Musically,” James notes, “I’d say I’m the love child between Ronnie Milsap and Barry White.”

That’s a piece of musical turf that puts James in pretty good company these days. Other current male country singers with soul elements in their voices include Billy Currington, Jimmy Wayne, Danny Gokey, Jerrod Niemann and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley.

“Charles has a really soulful voice, man. He’s a great singer,” James says. “I’m happy to be compared with those guys.”

Lady A producer Paul Worley oversaw the sessions for Shake What God Gave Ya!, which includes an appearance by Ronnie Milsap on the album closer, “Good Things Gone Bad.”

As James gears up for the album’s release, he’s singing “Groovy Little Summer Song” on the American Ride Tour, opening for Toby Keith and Trace Adkins.

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Gwyneth Paltrow as "Kelly Canter," from the movie "Country Strong." Photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

If you were listening to your favorite radio station yesterday, you might have heard a new song, “Country Strong,” by an unknown singer named Kelly Canter. Who is Kelly? None other than Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, star of the upcoming movie, Country Strong, also starring Tim McGraw.

In the movie, Gwyneth’s ”Kelly” is a just-out-of-rehab country singer trying to re-start her career. Tim plays Gwyneth’s manager/husband. The song “Country Strong” features harmony vocals by Vince Gill and Patty Griffin and is the first single from the original motion picture soundtrack to Country Strong, set for release October 26 on RCA Nashville. You can see the movie in theatres beginning Dec. 22. RCA has already set up an official website for the fictional Kelly, plus MySpace and Facebook pages.

Click here to listen to “Country Strong” — and tell us what you think in the comments section below!

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Blake Shelton photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Does trouble seem to follow you wherever you go? Ask our new advice columnist, Blake Shelton, for a solution!

Trouble with work? Love? Life in general? Blake has the answers to all your problems. Write to him now in our exclusive advice column, “Dear Blake,” and he may address your concerns on GACTV.com.

Hurry — the deadline to write to Blake Shelton for advice is is Monday, August 2 at 12 noon (Central). Click here to write to Blake for advice!

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Nan Kelley & Dierks Bentley share a laugh on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.

Two guys who have a lot to celebrate — Dierks Bentley and Jerrod Niemann — will share their excitement this weekend with host Nan Kelley on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Dierks announced this week that he and his wife, Cassidy, are expecting their second child in December. It’s a big moment in his home life, even as Dierks’ professional life continues to unfold. His album Up On The Ridge ranks No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, and he’ll make two late-night television appearances next week to support it. He’s set to perform “Fallin’ For You” on “The Late Show With David Letterman” Tuesday and “Draw Me A Map” on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” Wednesday.

Jerrod, meanwhile, punctuated his own worklife with a nifty career marker: His debut album, Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury, debuted at No. 1 on the Country Albums chart, finally moving Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now aside after a 24-week run at the top spot. In the meantime, the video for Jerrod’s “Lover, Lover” is at No. 10 on the Top 20 countdown.

Top 20 Country Countdown counts down the week’s top country videos from No. 20 to No. 1 as voted by viewers on each week on GACTV.com. A new countdown premieres every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on GAC and airs again Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET; Sundays at 1 p.m. ET; and Mondays at 10 a.m. ET. Viewers can vote for their favorite videos, as well as purchase Top 20 artists’ albums and ringtones at GACTV.com.

THIS WEEK’S CHART:

1. Carrie Underwood “Undo It”
2. Miranda Lambert “The House That Built Me”
3. Kellie Pickler “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again”
4. Blake Shelton “All About Tonight”
5. Little Big Town “Little White Church”
6. Reba McEntire “I Keep On Lovin’ You”
7. Gary Allan “Get Off On The Pain”
8. Rodney Atkins “Farmer’s Daughter”
9. Clay Walker “She Won’t Be Lonely Long”
10. Jerrod Niemann “Lover, Lover”
11. Trace Adkins “This Ain’t No Love Song”
12. The Band Perry “If I Die Young”
13. Lady Antebellum “Our Kind Of Love”
14. Jewel “Satisfied”
15. Luke Bryan “Rain Is A Good Thing”
16. Laura Bell Bundy “Giddy On Up”
17. Alan Jackson “Hard Hat And A Hammer”
18. Emily West “Blue Sky”
19. Jaron And The Long Road To Love “Pray For You”
20. Steve Azar “Sunshine (Everyone Needs A Little)”

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Wynonna Judd photo courtesy of Curb Records.

Wynonna Judd was hospitalized Wednesday after having a significant traffic accident in Utah, according to The Lake Tahoe Daily Tribune.

The day after a concert in Salt Lake City, she drove to a sushi restaurant with her daughter, Grace, and her tour manager. On the way, they suffered a head-on collision. The trio was released from the hospital by midnight with Wynonna insisting she needed to be in Oregon on Thursday.

“They didn’t want to let me out of the hospital,” she told The Tahoe Daily Tribune, “and I said ‘Listen, I’ve got to go do a show.’ And the guys were like, ‘If anybody can, Wynonna, it’s you. You’ve shown us that you have quite the spunk.’ I said, ‘Listen, I’ve spent 10 years on a bus with my mother. If I can do that I can do anything.’”

Wynonna was feeling some pain on Thursday. And doctors were clearly concerned about possible head trauma, since they ran a CAT scan. Wynonna, however, declined to elaborate on the specifics of her injuries following the accident.

“One day you’re on top of the world,” she said, “and the next day you’re in the emergency room with a CAT scan and you think, ‘Gosh, life is pretty precious and it’s pretty fragile sometimes and it’s a miracle that I survived this crash.’ I’m not in grave danger or anything. It was pretty dramatic, but I made it through. I’m really sore today, but I’m really grateful to be alive.”

Following Thursday’s concert in Oregon, Wynonna is slated for concerts Friday and Saturday in Washington State. In the meantime, she’s eyeing another concert tour later this year: the Last Encore, which will reunite the Judds for a series of dates, beginning Nov. 26 in Green Bay, Wis. They’re currently recording a handful of songs as a duo that will appear in Wy’s next solo album.  Click here to see some recent photos of the duo in action »

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Craig Morgan photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Craig Morgan has a thing for chicken and dumplings, and he combines two of his favorite things — comfort food and country music — with the release of an expanded version of his current album. That’s Why: Collector’s Edition is available only through Cracker Barrel stores, beginning Monday.

The CD has already been upgraded once. He released it in 2008, then added “Bonfire” and “This Ain’t Nothin’” to 2009 editions of the disc. The album also features his hit “Love Remembers.”

The new Cracker Barrel collection totals 13 tracks, including two — “You” and “Evel Knievel” — that are previously unreleased.

“We have eaten in Cracker Barrel for many years, and we still do,” Craig says. “When we’re on the road, it’s one of my favorite places to eat because I know what I’m gonna get. It’s the closest thing to home cookin’ you can find on the road.”

Cracker Barrel’s country store sells plenty of music, and it’s particularly aligned with country. Some of its previous releases have featured Josh Turner, Alan Jackson, George Jones and the Zac Brown Band.

“I see other artists’ records [there], and I’m like, ‘Man, I want a record in Cracker Barrel,’” Craig says. “It only makes sense ’cause I am a country boy. I’m not a redneck, a cowboy, or a hillbilly. I’m a country boy, and country music and Cracker Barrel — one and the same… So now that it’s finally happening, I mean, I’m probably the most excited guy ever to have a Cracker Barrel album.”

The chain is currently running a Craig Morgan Country To The Core Sweepstakes that gives the winner a chance to have lunch with Craig at the Cracker Barrel store in Frederick, Md., and see his show when he plays there Sept. 25. The contest, which runs through Aug. 15, also includes airfare and lodging for the weekend in nearby Washington, D.C.

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Dierks Bentley with Evie in 2009. Photo courtesy of Ann-Marie Hensley/People.com.

Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy are getting an extra special Christmas present this year! The couple, who are parents to 21 month old Evie already, will welcome their second child in December. “We’re so excited that our daughter Evie is going to get a baby sister or brother for Christmas,” Dierks tells People magazine.

Dierks and Cassidy are undoubtedly excited, but how did Evie take the news? Pretty well if her baby doll is any indication of things. “She’s pretty obsessed with a baby doll she carries around now… We’ll see how she does with the real thing!” Dierks told the magazine.

For the complete story, visit People.com.

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Thompson Square photo courtesy of Stoney Creek Records.

New duo Thompson Square is married to the music — and to each other! We asked this entertaining twosome, Shawna and Keifer, to let us tag along with them as they watch their budding career blossom:

Blog No. 5
July 20, 2010

WOWEE! What a great first day for radio adds. The first week, we had 28 stations on board and “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” was the third most added song in the country. 

Momma’s so proud.  This week we had 8 more come on board and we couldn’t be more excited, unless of course we won that Kroger shopping spree we’ve been entering for. That would be sweet!

Well, they wouldn’t let Keifer out of the country so we’re shooting the video in the good ol’ U.S. of A. next week. We should have it ready to go in a few short weeks for all y’all to see. FYI, as soon as the director says, “That’s a wrap!” we’re going to gorge ourselves on pizza and ice cream. Video diets stink!

We participated in a photo shoot last week for a great cause called sp[OIL]ed. This is a program created by Sammy Kershaw to bring awareness to the Gulf oil disaster. You can check out our photo on the tsquarefans facebook page — www.facebook.com/tsquarefans.

Lastly, we’d like to ask everyone to say a prayer for our friend/Attorney Bob Sullivan, who was diagnosed with leukemia last week. He’s currently being treated and just started chemo. Please keep Bob and his family in your thoughts and throw some positive vibes toward him. He’s a good dude.

Other than having a few days to ourselves last week and just chillin’ by our new kiddie pool, that’s about it for this edition.

Once again, as we’re flying back home, we’d like to thank you for reading and please keep in touch with us @ www.facebook.com/tsquarefans. Until next time….

-t2

ThompsonSquare.com

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Taylor Swift during her UStream webcast on Tuesday, July 20, 2010.

Taylor Swift set up shop in front of a webcam this afternoon for a live, interactive chat with fans that lasted just under an hour.  During the webcast, Taylor fielded questions from the participants, who at one point numbered almost 60,000.  Taylor also gave shout outs to fans from across the globe who were logged on from far reaching countries like Italy, France, Brazil, Ireland and Sweden just to name a few.

The big news announced during the webcast is that Taylor will release her third studio album entitled Speak Now, on October 25th. The album will feature 14 tracks, all written solely by Taylor.  The first single from the project will be “Mine” and you can look for that to hit country radio on August 16th.  Last week we reported that Taylor was spotted in Portland, Maine filming scenes from what appeared to be a music video and today she confirmed that was the case and that it was for the video for “Mine.”

“Saying the right thing at the right moment is so crucial that most of us start to hesitate, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately what I’ve begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything,” Taylor shared to explain the title of the new album. “These songs are made up of words I didn’t say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person.”

Taylor was totally relaxed throughout the webcast and genuinely appeared to be having fun interacting and sharing with her fans.   Taylor reported that she’s settling in and loving her new digs in Nashville, she’s passionate about cooking and right now is really into headbands, even sharing some tips on the best way to go about sourcing materials to make them.

Taylor once again showed that she’s truly dedicated to staying connected with her fans, whether through 15 hour meet & greets in person or by leveraging the internet to engage fans around the world.

If you can’t stand the wait and you’re dying to find out more, check out a special website Taylor set up at www.SpeakNow13.com.  You’ll find a few more details and a widget that is counting down to the release of her first single.  Plus, starting on August 20th you’ll be able to pre-order Speak Now.

Get more Taylor Swift at GACTV.com:

• Browse hundreds of photos in her GAC gallery »
• Watch her complete collection of music videos »
• Take the Taylor Swift Trivia Challenge »

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